I never expected to find myself in a Senate office building, talking about childcare with the people who write the laws that shape it. But that’s where I was this spring, representing Oregon families at the Strolling Thunder event held by Zero to Three on Capitol Hill. I was still an Oregon State University Ecampus student with a discussion post due after meeting former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.<\/p>\n
I live in Deer Island, a small, unincorporated community in Columbia County, Oregon. There, if you’re a parent trying to find childcare, you quickly learn the term “childcare desert” isn’t an abstraction. It’s your Tuesday.<\/p>\n
That’s the reality I carry into every room I walk into, whether it\u2019s substitute teaching in the St. Helens School District, serving as the parent and family board representative for the Northwest Regional Education Service District\u2019s Northwest Early Learning Hub, advocating through the United Way of Columbia County and working toward my\u00a0bachelor’s degree in elementary education online<\/a>\u00a0through Oregon State University.<\/p>\n None of it happens in isolation. It all feeds each other.<\/p>\n Strolling Thunder<\/a>\u00a0brings parents from across the country to Washington to talk directly with lawmakers about policies that affect young children and families. We talked about childcare access, paid leave and early learning investment. Our family was selected as Oregon’s parent family representative for 2026.<\/p>\n While there, I met with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, sat down with both of Oregon’s U.S. senators\u2019 staffers and spoke with Pelosi at the rally. I didn’t walk in with a title or a policy degree. I walked in as a mom from Deer Island with a story about what it looks like to raise a family where childcare is scarce.<\/p>\n What struck me most, sitting across from members of Congress, was how much they wanted specifics, not statistics.<\/p>\n I told them about Columbia County, about parents who take jobs based on which employer’s schedule lines up with the one open childcare slot in town and about substitute teachers, like me, piecing together a living while building something more permanent.<\/p>\n That’s the thread running through everything I do. I’m not there because I have all the answers. I’m there because I’ve lived and cried through the questions<\/span>.<\/p>\n Write your own Oregon State Everywhere story by sharing the triumphs and challenges you experienced while learning online with Oregon State University. Share your story \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The classroom and the policy table are the same fight. Every Oregon State course I take online sharpens the same instinct and core belief that kids do better when the adults around them build systems that actually see them.<\/p>\n Being an online, self-directed student has also taught me how to hold a lot at once \u2014 writing papers from hotel rooms between meetings and after my toddler goes to sleep. The flexibility of OSU Ecampus<\/a> and the support of my academic advisor is the reason I could say yes to Strolling Thunder without putting my degree on hold again<\/span>.<\/p>\n If there’s one thing I’d want another online student, or another rural parent, to take from this trip, it’s that you don’t need to feel fully qualified to advocate for your community.<\/p>\n I didn’t have a policy background. I had a substitute teaching schedule, a stack of night-class readings and a story I really wanted to tell. That was enough to get a seat at the table.<\/p>\n Finding success as an online student doesn’t look like one thing. Sometimes it’s a high grade. Sometimes it’s flying across the country to speak up for the families back home, then logging into class the next morning like nothing happened at all.<\/p>\n And that’s the story I wanted Ecampus students to hear. It\u2019s messy and hard, but also so incredibly rewarding<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more about how you can pursue your elementary education bachelor’s degree online<\/a> with Oregon State University and get started on your journey today.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Anastasia Rigby shares her story of representing Oregon families at the Strolling Thunder event held by Zero to Three on Capitol Hill. She says being an online, self-directed student taught her how to juggle multiple commitments, while the flexibility of OSU Ecampus and the support of her academic advisor allowed her to say yes to Strolling Thunder without putting her degree on hold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":3097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,677,8],"tags":[180,719,544],"class_list":["post-3086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-college-of-education","tag-elementary-education","tag-osu-everywhere"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-NM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1581,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/public-health-masters-erin-devlin\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: ‘I am so grateful to have taken this path’","author":"Erin Devlin","date":"November 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"If it weren't for the online program at Oregon State Ecampus, I would not have had the chance to get the Master of Public Health. I wouldn't have complemented my work in OSU Extension Family and Community Health with classes that taught me the science behind program decisions. And I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State University Ecampus Master of Public Health student Erin Devlin sits on a lakeshore with her daughter, Molly","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erin-Devlin-MPH-student-2020-daugther-Molly-744x478-201026.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erin-Devlin-MPH-student-2020-daugther-Molly-744x478-201026.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erin-Devlin-MPH-student-2020-daugther-Molly-744x478-201026.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erin-Devlin-MPH-student-2020-daugther-Molly-744x478-201026.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3014,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-education-preparation-for-graduate-school\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":1},"title":"How online education prepared one student for graduate school","author":"Jean Dion","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A bachelor\u2019s degree earned online from Oregon State University can lead to more academic opportunities. Just ask Michelle Cimino. Earning a bachelor\u2019s in zoology online prepared her for a competitive environmental science and policy graduate program at Columbia University.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State student Michelle Cimino stands outside while smiling with green grass behind her.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/MichelleCimino.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/MichelleCimino.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/MichelleCimino.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/MichelleCimino.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/MichelleCimino.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1649,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/online-economics-hope-sims\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":2},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Developing passions, adding skills for the future","author":"Hope Sims","date":"December 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The courses that I\u2019ve taken have helped me expand my education in economics and further develop my passions for sustainability. With the online education, I\u2019ve been able to work toward my goals as a sustainability ambassador.\" \u2014 Hope Sims, OSU economics major","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of Hope Sims, Oregon State Ecampus online economics student","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hope-Sims-ECON-744x478.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":952,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/brenda-contreras\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":3},"title":"Opportunities in action","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"July 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Cody Bowie July 26, 2018 If you ask Brenda Contreras what her time at Oregon State has provided her, she\u2019ll answer in one word: opportunities. Opportunities such as scholarships, a chance to teach near her hometown and experience in a dual-language classroom. The Oregon State psychology graduate is now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brenda Contreras is kneeling next to a student in the elementary school classroom where she teaches as part of Oregon State's Master of Arts in Teaching program. The child wears a blue denim jacket and has long, dark and curly hair. Both are looking at a learning tablet that the student is holding.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Brenda-Contreras-Main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Brenda-Contreras-Main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Brenda-Contreras-Main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Brenda-Contreras-Main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2051,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/osu-everywhere-matt-bowling\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":4},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: ‘Education is an investment in yourself, and you are worth it’","author":"Matt Bowling","date":"July 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Here's my advice to anyone who is considering going back to school: Go for it! There is no better time than now. ... Education is an investment in yourself, and you are worth it. OSU Ecampus was user-friendly, with great support.\" \u2014 Matt Bowling, Oregon State Ecampus graduate","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Matthew-Bowling-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Matthew-Bowling-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Matthew-Bowling-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Matthew-Bowling-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1469,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/sustainability-online-carlee-sedgwick\/","url_meta":{"origin":3086,"position":5},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Prone to wanderlust, but at home with Ecampus","author":"Carlee Sedgwick","date":"July 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I think my favorite part about Ecampus, besides the community and approachability of all the faculty, is the overall flexibility allowed through online classes. ... When I graduate, I want to continue my education before pursuing a career that involves conservation, environmental justice or really anything to do with environmental\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Carlee Sedgwick, a sustainability and sociology double major with Oregon State University Ecampus, stands with ocean cliffs behind her. She is in the environmental and natural resource option in the sociology bachelor's degree program.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/carlee-sedgwick-sociology-sustainability.jpg?fit=744%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/carlee-sedgwick-sociology-sustainability.jpg?fit=744%2C498&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/carlee-sedgwick-sociology-sustainability.jpg?fit=744%2C498&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/carlee-sedgwick-sociology-sustainability.jpg?fit=744%2C498&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/anastasia-rigby-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How I got to Washington, D.C.<\/h3>\n
Carrying my community with me<\/h3>\n
Tell us your story<\/h3>\n
How an online elementary education program fits in<\/h3>\n
What I hope people take from this<\/h3>\n
\nRequest information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"